Gov. Scott proposes more choice, lower costs in Florida education

November 5, 2012|By Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel

Gov. Rick Scott told members of the state Board of Education on Monday that his priorities for education in the coming year include an increase in K-12 choices and a drop in college costs for Florida families.

In a meeting held at Boca Raton High School, Scott said because competition helps improve education, he supports an expansion of charter schools, including lifting enrollment caps that districts can place on how large charters can grow.

He also wants to see districts give parents and students more options. He said that during a statewide swing, residents supported the idea of school choice as long as all schools were held to the same standards.

"They want to make sure it's fair for everybody and we ought to live by the same rules," he said. "When you have competition, prices come down, quality goes up and service goes up."

Charter schools have been growing rapidly in South Florida in recent years. In Palm Beach County, enrollment this year is 11,424, up 14 percent from last year. In Broward County, it's 33,279, up 13 percent. . Broward is considering opening its own charter school to compete.

Scott said he was glad $1 billion was restored into the state's K-12 system, after several years of cuts but it's tough to guarantee increases in the future. He blamed spiraling costs to the state Medicaid budget.

Still, he said he's looking for ways to save money, partly by reducing unnecessary regulations that burden the resources of school districts.

A committee of seven superintendents, including Robert Runcie of Broward County, gave recommendations to Scott, including what information should be reported to the state. One requires districts advertise public school progress plans in newspapers. The superintendents proposed to put these on their websites.

"There are a little over 20,000 regulations in the state, and some of them probably made sense 20 years ago," he said.

The decreased regulation proposal received an enthusiastic response from Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart.

"When we provide relief to school districts from unnecessary regulations, that allows them to free up resources and provide more learning time for students," she said. "That is a win for students and for Florida's education system."

On the higher education front, Scott said his goal is keep college costs affordable, but with a return on any state investment. He said he wants to put the greatest resources into programs where students will be most likely to get jobs, including science, technology, engineering and math, known as the STEM fields.

Students who get degrees in fields would likely have to pay less in tuition than others such as anthropology, art, political science and literature. A Blue Ribbon Task Force appointed by Scott is finalizing a series of higher education recommendations and plans to present its findings Wednesday.

"We have to continue to do everything we can to reduce the cost of higher education and make sure all expenditures are results-oriented," he said. "Did somebody get a job after they went to school?"

His higher education proposals have received criticism from many students and educators, particularly in humanities, who fear their programs could become too expensive or vanish altogether.

Scott said his proposals are crucial for boosting the economy and quality of life for Florida residents.

"If we have the right educational system, there will be plenty of jobs, and the standard of living will be up, and the cost of living will be low," he said.